Last week I ticked off a long-wishlisted destination – Berlin. I was invited across to Germany by Tamaris to discover the city and visit Berlin Fashion Week and despite having only two days, I was determined to cram in as much as possible.

After a slightly stressful journey from Schönefeld Airport (would probably still be riding the Berlin train system without EE data bundles and Google Maps!), my travelling companions Vicki, Kristabel and I reached our hotel – the Melia, which sits right on the River Spree in the heart of Berlin.

After a quick pitstop at our rooms, a freshen up and a rifle through our Tamaris goody bags, we headed straight back out for food and a wander. Our hotel was on the corner of Friedrichstrasse and Am Weidendamm and there was plenty going on – a short stroll down the river led us to a restaurant with a view, a glass of Riesling and a pork schnitzel. Delicious.

After lunch we walked along the river towards Museum Island. The buildings were absolutely spectacular and I just wish we’d had more time to go inside.

As we walked through a park, we spotted the Berliner Dom and the Fernsehturm between the trees… and then the heavens opened and we were caught in an epic thunderstorm! Luckily we stumbled on a cafe and sat drinking coffee as the rain poured – how very European.

Another quick change at the hotel and we headed back out, first to the shop launch of another German brand – Marc Cain – and then on to dinner. I had chance to snap some of Berlin’s infamous graffiti-ed streets in the Mitte area of the city before we went inside to eat.

Dinner was an absolute highlight – the lovely team at Task PR, who look after Tamaris, took us to Clarchen’s Ballhaus. An original WWI ballroom, this beautiful building has been entertaining since 1913. The walls shimmered, the food was delicious and the swing dancing was brilliant to watch (one more G&T and I would’ve been up there). Apparently there’s an even more amazing room on the first floor, full of ornate mirrors and chandeliers – another reason I really must go back soon.

Day 1 in Berlin was hectic but I’m so glad we had even a little bit of time to explore this vibrant city. Come back later this week to see what happened at Berlin Fashion Week!

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A Bit about Jen

I’ve been writing things online since the late 90s, when my mum finally gave in to my pleas and installed dial-up on my PC. I signed up for MSN Messenger, opened a Live Journal account, set my desktop background as a funny picture of a cat and never looked back.